Daily Inspiration From Your Chiropractor

Today's inspirational quote:

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

-- John Quincy Adams

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Stretches Can Be Hard on the Spine

I recently attended a continuing education seminar conducted by Dr. Charles Annunziata, a chiropractor from the east coast, on “Spinal Disorders from Diagnosis to Treatment”. One of the first things they talked about were stretching exercises. It has been known for many years that the standard stretching exercises provided by most healthcare providers are of no clinical benefit in reducing back and neck pain. More recently the research shows that, when applied in the most common manner, these stretches actually cause disc problems, particularly long-term.

At night, when we are lying down and gravity is not pushing down on our spine, the discs are re-absorbing moisture and ‘pumping’ back up to full capacity. Everyone gains between three-quarters of an inch and two inches in height while sleeping. When we first wake up the discs are stretched and straining from the internal pressure, and anything that increases external pressure causes micro-tears and ruptures of the disc structures.

There are three things that most people do upon awakening that injure their backs every morning:

1. Stretching before getting out of bed. I’m not referring to the ‘yawn and stretch’ before hopping up and heading to the bathroom – I mean pulling both knees up to the chest as hard as possible and holding it for 30 seconds or more before moving on to other similar stretches.
2. Going to the exercise room and doing calisthenics or lifting weights, or going right to work and immediately begin heavy (and usually awkward) lifting with concurrent bending and stooping required by the job.
3. Sitting in a lousy chair with poor posture reading, eating breakfast, or watching TV.

Instead we should be standing and walking, minimizing the above-mentioned activities as much as possible. The research shows that when we are upright, with gravity doing its thing, it takes between one and two hours for our discs to deflate sufficiently for the risk of injury to become minimal. If you still absolutely must do these particular stretches, do them as a cool-down after exercising, or after climbing into bed before going to sleep.

If you want more information, e-mail me and I will send you the references cited by Dr. Annunziata. As always, when the spine is out of place, all of these problems will be magnified. Chiropractors can help you sustain less injury, get rid of pain, and be more healthy – call and give us a chance to show you how!

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

A Perfect Diet – the Proper Weight is Better for Our Spine

I have spent the past week looking for the article which I am about to quote. I’ve taken way too long, and so I am surrendering and quoting (and embellishing) from memory. This is taken from a column by Lendon H. Smith, M.D. in Dynamic Chiropractic, around 1989. I will write as I remember Dr. Smith’s comments:

Our bodies are not designed to eat three large meals per day. This is a concession to requirements of a working society. Our digestive system functions best with a continual, but limited flow of a variety of different foods. To take full advantage of this, we should be eating twelve meals per day.

Before you surf on to the next website in disgust, peruse the details of this diet. This diet is not easy although it is not particularly expensive. You must begin with a careful planning of each day’s meals. If you are trying to lose weight on this diet, your daily intake should be between 1000-1200 calories. If you are trying to maintain a satisfactory weight, intake should be between 1500-1800 calories.

Divide the meals by food types:  one meal might consist of 100-300 calories of cheese, another 100-400 calories of chicken or fish, several meals would consist of all you can eat of celery or carrot sticks. Occasional deep fried items, or salad dressings would supply the oils needed by the body. Just follow an all-around healthy diet that is a little heavy on the vegetables and light on the fats (staying within the caloric guidelines, of course).

Prepare the foods by cutting them up into bite-sized pieces which can be eaten with a toothpick – cubes are a nice shape. Get twelve sealable containers (can be Ziploc bags) labeled 1-12 and fill them with your meals, randomly arranged so that you are not eating the same thing twice in a row. Drink mostly water – if you are going to have milk it must be figured into the caloric count – and no soft drinks, particularly diet sodas.

Establish a time each hour between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm to take five minutes and eat your meal. The meals you will need during work hours are generally easily transportable. Snacks shouldn’t be needed since every meal is a snack. Chewing each bite thoroughly helps the food digest better and allows your body to feel satisfied sooner.

This diet is not for the faint-of-heart, but it is an excellent diet:  healthy and successful. If you are in the mood for a lifestyle change to help you lose weight, you might enjoy this one. Don’t forget that regular, vigorous exercise is also a necessary part of a successful diet. And, as always, everything goes better with chiropractic care. Come on in and find out for yourself.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Daily Inspiration From Your Chiropractor

Today's Inspirational Quote:

“There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behaves any of us to find fault with the rest of us.”

-- John Truslow Adams

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Daily Inspiration From Your Chiropractor

Today's Inspirational Quote:

“The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.”

-- Agha Hasan Abedi

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Weight and Spinal Health

Today we will touch briefly on a sore subject – weight. The majority of Americans today are overweight, or worse, and most of us recognize that, even if we have a hard time admitting it.

Our weight increases when the body decides it is necessary to store extra energy. Existing fat cells expand and fill up, and in many circumstances, the body creates additional storage cells. These cells require blood flow in order to live and function, and many miles of additional blood vessels are created.

In order to force the blood through these new networks, the heart pumps harder and faster, increasing the blood pressure, which increases the likelihood of strokes. An increase in fat storage is often accompanied by an increase in the bad type of cholesterol with an attendant greater risk of blockages and blood clots. If a clot lodges in the arteries of the heart, lungs or brain, things obviously get even worse.

Depressed yet? These are the things we are reminded about on a daily basis. In addition to the stresses on the heart, the skeletal system is also affected. All of the weight-bearing joints have to deal with the increased load which leads to degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis. Joint replacements are discouraged because of the greater likelihood of early hardware failure.

From the chiropractic perspective, the worst problem is the effect of additional weight on the spine. Fat is seldom distributed in a balanced pattern, and this affects our posture and movement. Any woman who has ever been pregnant knows that one or more bowling balls hanging from the front of your waist causes low-back pain.

As mentioned in previous posts, the body contains other nerves in addition to those which report pain, and they are all affected in a similar manner. Organs malfunction, making it increasingly difficult for the body to take care of itself, heal injuries of all kinds, and stay healthy.

Getting chiropractic treatments when overweight becomes necessary merely to maintain the status quo, although amazingly enough, many times the body still exhibits the capability to slowly improve its circumstances. Because of this, chiropractic adjustments increase body movement and coordination while relieving pain, and often even assist in the weight-management process.

Most chiropractor’s offices have equipment such as tables which lay the patient down and raise them back to their feet again, addressing a variety of different patient needs, making the treatment process as easy as possible. Even if weight-control is a problem, at Val Vista Chiropractic, we are ready to help you maintain the maximum health and functionality which your body can achieve.

In the next post, I will share information I found about a ‘perfect’ diet.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic